The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

The Syria crisis is often described as the worst humanitarian catastrophe since the end of the Cold War. Today 16.2 million people in Syria are in need of humanitarian assistance with needs increasingly being exacerbated by economic decline. This is no short-term humanitarian episode.

IRC is providing a robust humanitarian response in Syria, supported by more than 800+ staff across Syria, Jordan, Türkiye and Iraq. IRC is undertaking programs in the fields of health, child protection, early childhood development, women’s protection and empowerment, cash assistance, protection and rule of law, and economic recovery and livelihood programming. Our work in these challenging settings gives rise to some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary humanitarian action, including questions of access, security, funding and coordination.

Job Overview/Summary

The Human Resource Director is accountable for providing strategic leadership for over 800 staff and incentive workers in the Syria Country Program, across multiple geographical locations. S/he will lead a HR team to ensure high quality and efficient staff recruitment, contracts management, orientation, learning and development, performance management, compensation and benefits, code of conduct compliance, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion, and staff care. The position holder operates within the scope of IRC management in partnership model and reports directly to both, Syria Country Director and Regional People and Culture Director – MENA.

The HR Director will adapt and implement Global and Regional HR initiatives and practices, and serve as an advisor to maximize organizational staffing resources and performance, minimize risk and ensure economy and efficiency of work processes. Importantly the HR Director will promote and cultivate a positive and healthy organizational culture, and work to ensure that this culture is practiced and lived across the Country Program. The position holder will serve as a key member in the Senior Management Team (SMT) and work collaboratively with country leadership to establish and maintain an organizational culture in line with IRC’s values. In this role, the HR Director serves as a strategic partner, advisor, and coach to ensure a safe and welcoming culture for all people.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic HR Leadership and Management

• Strategic leadership on al HR related matters, working with Country Director and partnering with SMT to ensure the IRC Syria Country Program embodies organizational culture and values and that all team members feel valued through all aspects of the employment lifecycle.

• Manage and lead the HR team across all locations, and overall accountable for quality of services and success of the HR department progress against agreed goals. Monitor key HR KPIs, analyzing monthly data to diagnose and identify priorities and evaluate effectiveness of HR functions.

• Serve as a model of supervisory excellence; supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback, and leading documented semi-annual performance reviews.

• Lead the performance management process, creating a plan to implement the annual and mid-year reviews. Conduct training on goal-setting, utilize budgets to organize development activities and work one-on-one with managers and employees to create country wide development plans.

• Support senior staff to pursue nationalization/regionalization of senior and middle management positions.

• Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to foster team culture, through team engagement, inclusion and cohesion.

• Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and to promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies.

• Advise and coach supervisors in determining appropriate disciplinary plans of action in a judicious manner. Follow-up disciplinary measures and related employment law matters. Ensure all legal obligations are fulfilled in Syria, Jordan and Türkiye.

• Partner with IRC global investigations teams and the IRC Syria CD and Risk and Compliance Director to ensure that recommendations arising out of all investigations, particularly disciplinary action against subjects, are actioned within 2 weeks.

• Participate in and support staff meetings, and propose and lead other staff engagement initiatives in order to bridge the gap between the field and remote support offices.

• Support the Country Director in other occasional strategic people related tasks that may arise.

HR Operations/Foundations

• Accountable for salary payroll for all national staff.

• Participate in budget preparation and provide strategic compensation analysis to attract high-quality talent. Define and review the salary structure; coordinate the annual compensation review process and compensation adjustments.

• Devise and deliver a planned HR approach to attracting, developing, inspiring and retaining the right people with the right skills to achieve strategic, high-quality programmatic outcomes.

• Lead exit management procedure to ensure seamless and positive transition for departing employees and analyze turnover and exit interviews to make real-time, continuous improvement utilizing learnings to formulate retention strategies.

• Ensure high quality and efficient context-specific strategies for all HR fundamentals.

Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) and Safeguarding

• Oversee the implementation IRC Syria’s GEDI priorities, including facilitating key conversations across all levels of the Country Program to ensure understanding and commitment to context specific GEDI principles, and successful implementation of the GEDI Action Plan.

• Accountable for incorporation of GEDI best practice and IRC values in employee lifecycle and in operations.

• Ensure leadership create and empower a diverse and safe organizational environment. One that is respectful and inclusive and grants each employee an equal opportunity to learn, grow and contribute to the IRC.

• Partner with country and regional specialized safeguarding staff to convene functional stakeholders in country, and to promote uptake and progress on the Safeguarding Minimum Standards.

• Ensure that the Syria SMT is updated regularly (minimum bi-annually) on progress – including analysis of barriers, enablers and resources required – on the Safeguarding Minimum Standards.

• Partner with country and regional specialized safeguarding staff to communicate clearly and consistently with all staff regarding IRC reporting and support channels related to ethical misconduct, including IRC’s survivor-centered reporting guidelines.

Duty of Care

• Advise and provide support for all staff related to duty of care efforts/initiatives.

• Devise staff care action plans that elevate morale and support the social, physical, and psychological well-being of staff; create emergency staff care interventions – both in collaboration with the Regional Staff Care unit. Promote and assess staff care and well-being. Model healthy work-life balance practices.

• Maintain a healthy and empowering office environment that encourages open, honest, and productive communication among IRC staff and is devised to meet the remote management context, by delivering an employee engagement and communication strategy.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Country Director and Regional People and Culture Director

Position directly Supervises: HR leads in northwest Syria, northeast Syria, Türkiye and Jordan.

Key Internal Contacts:

 Country Program: Senior Management Team members

 Regional: Regional People and Culture Director, Compensation and Benefit Duty of Care and GEDI team members

 HQ: People and Culture Team, Employee Relations and Duty of Care teams

Key External Contacts:

 HR counter parts at other I/NGOs

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s university degree in HR management, organizational behavior, international relations or development, MBA, Law or related field is preferred.

• Minimum of 7 tears progressive experience as a HR practitioner, including recruitment, employee relations, compensation, training and development and HR Administration.

• Demonstrated success as a HR leader supporting groups of 500 + employees at multiple organizational levels, cultures, and locations within a regional or global environment required.

• Demonstrated success as a HR professional in emergency response, conflict zones and/or humanitarian aid sector preferred.

• Demonstrated success in supporting key senior management and building strong, trusted relationships.

• Proven track-record of excellent management and leadership skills including capacity-building, coaching, mentoring, performance management and delivering individual and group training.

• Strong collaborator with effective interpersonal and analytical skills who can work seamlessly across countries, cultures, and organizational units required.

• Demonstrated ability to work, manage, and meet competing deadlines in a fast-paced, high-volume environment and on deadline; aptitude for problem solving and decision making needed

• I/NGO experience required.

• English and Arabic are required

• 25% travel to the field (Syria and Türkiye) and attending regional/global workshops and meetings

Standard of Professional Conduct: The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.